Book Review: The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

By Carolina Moriello

“Life was too short, too brittle, to keep secrets and live in half-truths. Even when we thought that we were protecting those we loved. Or protecting ourselves. Our hearts. Because the reality was that without honesty, without truth, we never lived fully.”

When Rosie Graham’s ceiling caves in—literally—she decides to stay at her best friend Lina’s apartment while she is away on her honeymoon. Unbeknownst to Rosie, Lina’s cousin Lucas, a.k.a. Rosie’s internet crush, is staying in Lina’s apartment as well while he visits from Spain. Even though the studio apartment has one bed and no walls, Lucas convinces Rosie to room with him. As the two become close and start to form a friendship, Rosie reveals to Lucas that she quit her engineering job to pursue her dream of becoming a romance author. Following the success of her first novel, Rosie is now on a deadline to submit her second novel but has been hit with a serious case of writer’s block. Lucas decides he will help her by going on a series of experimental dates to hopefully inspire and ignite new ideas for her novel. Rosie and Lucas have six weeks to complete this plan, but neither of them could have predicted what would happen at the end of those six weeks.

From the moment you meet Lucas Martín, you cannot help but be affected by his charm, charisma, and confidence. If he were a real person, he would be the one who walks into a room and fills it with his quiet confidence. He is the guy that women and men alike gravitate toward. Rosie, on the other hand, is not someone you would naturally gravitate toward. While she is a well-developed character, she oftentimes finds herself in situations that could have easily been avoided had she actually spoken her feelings or addressed her issues. I found myself rooting for her happiness while at the same time being completely frustrated by her actions. While the forced proximity trope was excellently developed, the slow burn trope was infuriatingly slow. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue if the chemistry between the characters was so palpable you could feel it from the pages of the book, but once Rosie and Lucas were finally together, their connection was a little lacklustre.

Ultimately, this story was about following your dreams and finding the self-love and confidence within yourself to know what you want and what you deserve. These themes were prevalent throughout and even though the ending was predictable, you couldn't help but be happy with the outcome not only for Lucas and Rosie as a couple, but for Lucas and Rosie as individuals. They were able to chase their dreams and achieve individual happiness first, before giving themselves completely to one another.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Peace Keeper by B. L. Blanchard

By Carolina Moriello

“But you know, taking care of someone else means that you need to take care of yourself.”

Twenty years ago, Chibenashi’s life was forever changed. His mother was killed at the hands of his father, who was then sentenced to a lifetime in jail, a punishment rarely used by the Anishinaabe people. Chibenashi finds himself responsible for his younger sister, Ashwiyaa, who was left scarred and traumatized by the murder. He has dedicated his entire adult life to working as a Peace Keeper in his village of Baawitigong and caring for his sister, making sure her needs are put above his own. However, on the evening of the Manoomin festival, another murder occurs in their village—a murder eerily similar to his mother’s. Chibenashi dedicates his time and efforts to solving this case and finding the murderer. What ensues is a tale of discovery and the realization that perhaps Chibenashi’s entire life has been a lie.

From the first page to the last you cannot help but feel for Chibenashi. His life has been dedicated to protecting others and casting aside his own wants and needs. He is a sad and broken man who deserves more. I couldn’t help but feel like his sister was weighing him down. Her dependency on him to care for her and be available to her at any moment was frustrating. However, as the primary support person for her debilitating anxiety and the person who shares her trauma, Chibenashi is unwilling to break this dependency.

This novel was not only interesting and entertaining to read because it was a mystery, but it was also fascinating because it took place in a fictional North America that was never colonized, a world where Indigenous nations developed and the Anishinaabe culture prevailed. Author B. L. Blanchard is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and did an excellent job at creating an authentic setting and incorporating traditions that served the plot well. This alternative history backdrop was the reason why I chose this book. The mystery was an added bonus! However, when it comes to the mystery aspect of the book, if you play close attention you can piece together who the murderer is. Attention to detail is key to solving this murder.

The Peace Keeper is B. L. Blanchard’s debut novel, and the first installment of The Good Lands series. I look forward to reading the rest of this series in the future.

Thank you to Wunderkind PR for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: Like Animals by Eve Lemieux

By Carolina Moriello

Content warning: sex, drugs, addiction, suicide, death, depression 

 “Dark and violent but with a touch of vulnerability that shines with hope.”  

Set in Montréal, Like Animals by Eve Lemieux tells the sad and complicated story of Philomena “Philly” Flynn. Philly self-destructs after having her heart broken and tries to fill the void and escape the pain with drugs, alcohol, and lots of sex. However, the more Philly tries to escape the pain, the worse it gets. In addition to this, her father becomes very ill and her relationship with her mother is as distant and rocky as ever. It feels as though Philly’s life is spiralling out of control, and the only way to stop it is to escape it all together.

It is difficult not to get frustrated with Philly and her destructive tendencies. The story almost reads like a vicious cycle of happiness, pain, numbness, and rock bottom, over and over again. As frustrating as it is, this story is a good reminder that sometimes people cannot be saved until they are ready to save themselves. Such is the case with Philly. She is a masochist at heart, who finds comfort living in the past. Any time things appear to go well in her life, she believes she is undeserving, and finds a way to ruin it and enter her cycle of pain once again. The ending of the story does send a clear message to the reader though, that no matter how hard things get, there is always hope for a better future if you believe in yourself and your self-worth.

If you are looking for an easy read, this is not the book for you. Eve Lemieux wrote a story that is heartbreaking it reads like poetry at times. There were moments when the book became so dark and heavy that breaks had to be taken. When Philly hits absolute rock bottom, the pain is felt so deeply within the pages that it is hard not to become emotional or empathetic to her pain. If you read this book, proceed with caution and be aware of the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Dundurn Press for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

By Carolina Moriello

Content warning: sexual assault, violence, domestic abuse 

Welcome to number 12, rue des Amants, where everyone is a suspect, and nothing is as it seems.  

When Jess Hadley escapes England looking for a new start, she expects to stay with her half-brother Ben Daniels in his beautiful Paris apartment. Broke, out of a job, and escaping a scary past, Jess is hoping to use her time in Paris to figure out her next move. However, when she arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found. The longer Ben is away, the more alarmed and curious Jess gets. She turns to Ben’s neighbours for help, only to be met with hostility and unfriendliness at every turn. Jess believes the truth about what happened to her brother lies within the walls of the apartment building, and the more she unearths the more determined she is to find him…dead or alive. 

Within the first few chapters of this book the reader is introduced to many characters. As a matter of fact, not only are there many characters, but the majority of them have their own POV in the story. Such is the structure of this book: a constant rotation of characters and POVs. This gives the reader insight into each character, their history with Ben, and perhaps their own motives for wanting him gone. As you progress through the story and learn more about their connections to Ben, everyone becomes a suspect. Even though this book allows the reader access to the thoughts and feelings of each character, there isn’t much overall growth or character development. They remain pretty stagnant throughout, which made it hard to connect to or appreciate any of them. 

The Paris Apartment is a slow burn mystery novel more than it is a thriller. The first two hundred pages don’t reveal much in terms of where Ben could be, or the type of relationship he had with his neighbours. One could easily become frustrated with the lack of information or leads into what could have possibly happened to Ben. However, things pick up once you reach a certain point, and it becomes difficult to put the book down. Overall, Lucy Foley has written an intriguing story with a slew of messy, reticent characters. If you enjoy slow burn mysteries, with twists and turns scattered about, then this book is for you. Just be warned, paying attention to the small details is how you figure out what really happened to Ben Daniels. 

Book Review: Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng

By Carolina Moriello

Linda Rui Feng’s debut novel Swimming Back to Trout River tells the interwoven stories of Junie, Momo, Cassia, and Dawn. The story begins with Junie’s journey to the small Chinese village of Trout River, where she will be living with her grandparents after her mother Cassia leaves for America to be with her husband, and Junie’s father, Momo. Junie adjusts effortlessly to her life in Trout River, despite the distance between herself and her parents. However, Junie is saddened when she receives a letter from her father with the news that she will be moving to the United States to live with her parents when she turns twelve years old. It is Momo’s mission to reunite his family, but Junie and Cassia may not be on the same page. It is at this point in the novel when we learn about the past struggles and hardships Cassia, Momo, and his friend Dawn had to face, all while living through China’s Cultural Revolution. 

Although this novel ultimately begins and ends with Junie’s story, the majority of the book revolves around Dawn and the newly separated couple Momo and Cassia. We learn about their hardships growing up during an intense time in China’s history, their misfortunes and experiences with grief and loss, and Dawn and Momo’s love for and connection to classical music. We also learn of their individual journeys and struggles as immigrants in America, and how they evolve and flourish as individuals, all while living in a foreign country that promises them a better future. Each of their stories are unique, diverse, and interesting in their own regard, but they ultimately felt choppy and hard to follow. The novel often jumped from one perspective to another, and at times included details that did not lend themselves to the actual plot of the novel. 

Overall, Linda Rui Feng is a beautiful writer and the words felt poetic and lyrical. She was able to write about heavy and morose topics such as love, loss, and tragedy in a beautiful and effective way. It was also interesting to learn more about Chinese culture and conflict. However, as beautiful as the writing was, the storytelling could have been more consistent and less erratic. Junie was an important character in this novel, but we rarely read about her life and connection to her grandparents. This relationship and connection was probably the most important one in the novel, yet the reader was unable to learn more about it. It was hard to connect to any of the characters because we never got to know them on a deeper level. Oftentimes I was left wondering why a certain memory was being shared, making it difficult to find its importance and contribution to the overall plot. This book had much potential, but ultimately fell flat.